Author Image: Chi Varnado

Chi Varnado

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Besides escaping the cold weather for a respite, the Hawaiian getaway served another very important part of my total wellbeing. I somehow felt the need to escape my life (my usual responsibilities), Chi Varnado writes. Chi Varnado.

Quail Mutterings: Stepping away from my life

We’re probably not often able to get away for an extended period of time, but fortunately I was able to jump at an opportunity. Of course, I had to create...
The general direction of my true north has remained steadfast in the way it’s rooted me to a rural, natural lifestyle. (Chi Varnado)

Quail Mutterings: Finding our true north

Who am I? Who are you? And who are we? What do we really know? Not much, I’m afraid. We’re so influenced by all the “noise” around us that we...
Rio Grande river in Texas to go with it.

Quail Mutterings: A matter of perspective

Getting a glimpse of the total solar eclipse from the heart of Texas is what fueled our road trip. It provided the impetus we needed to contemplate an adventure across...
"It’s so easy to get caught up and entrenched in our own routines that we lose sight of all this beauty right in front of us," says columnist Chi Varnado.

Quail Mutterings: Live and let live?

When I had the dance studio, we included all the students in story ballets — regardless of the dance genre. I felt that this helped to foster a sense of...
Chi Varnado writes, "As the rain came down, I could almost sense the arrival of Spring — in all its splendor of fragrant lilacs, running creeks, and the singing of courting birds. There’s a feel of hope in the air of good things to come, and nice sunny days."

Quail Mutterings: The dissonance of life

1-2-3-hold 4—5-6-7 and 8. I listen to the familiar counting of musical phrasing as the ballet teacher marks through the choreography. My 7-year-old granddaughter is dancing in one of the...
Chi Varnado

Quail Mutterings: An attitude of gratitude

“Will I be creative and contribute to the development of the next, or will I be stuck in a self-centered rut?”It’s a great question — one that I took from...
Columnist Chi Varnado muses about a visit to Balboa Park with her 7-year-old granddaughter, Kya.

Quail Mutterings: Balance as art

My 7-year-old granddaughter and I are having conversations about what constitutes art. As we wander around Balboa Park after her ballet classes, I watch as her mind expands to include...
The farther we remove ourselves from beauty and nature, the less connected we become to everything, Chi Varnado writes.

Quail Mutterings: Changes on the horizon

Of course, we all know that change is inevitable and that most of it (in the big scheme of things) is beyond our petty control. Dead skin cells continually slough...
Aging gracefully may involve planning, adjusting attitudes or simply adopting new behaviors.

Quail Mutterings: Aging gracefully

What might it be like to age gracefully? What does that even mean? Perhaps it’s like what a good friend of mine said after retiring.“I’m completely content to just rock...
Longwood Gardens

Quail Mutterings: The shelter of place

Might we be getting too complacent as we inhabit our house, hang out at our usual venues, and socialize only with our core group of friends? Do we take the...
Chi Varnado attended the Tiny House Fest at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, viewing upscale van conversions, tiny houses on wheels (or not), as well as hand-built little huts.

Quail Mutterings: Sometimes less is more

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of less being more and I believe it’s true for so many things. It is certainly the case considering all the...
A self-portrait by Chi Varnado's 3-year-old granddaughter Zoe’s was almost forgotten until Varnado "picked it up and finally really looked at it." It's now on the refrigerator with magnets.

Quail Mutterings: The silence within

Our little neck of the woods has finally gotten that much-needed rain. But now, the flood gates have opened wide with no let-up in sight. Our grasslands are lush and...
"Our human condition is multi-layered and complex, which can leave us burned out and depressed if we don’t learn how to value some of the downs<i> </i>as well as the ups," Chi Varnado writes.<br/>

Quail Mutterings: And for this, too, I am grateful

It’s no wonder that when we think about being grateful, it’s almost always for those things that are truly positive, with very few, if any, negative associations that come along...
Each season brings change and a new opportunity to alter the lens we look through, Chi Varnado writes. The cooler temperatures bring death to deciduous leaves and a striking shift in colors.

Quail Mutterings: The up and down sides of fall

Fall has arrived! Crisp, clear days and cool, mild nights.Visually, everything appears so vivid this time of year with less moisture and hovering dust in the air to blur the...
Chi Varnado

Quail Mutterings: The age of shifting gears

Newton’s law of Inertia states that an object in motion stays in motion while an object at rest stays at rest — that is, without gravity factored in. He basically...
Viewpoints of a country life

Quail Mutterings: Aah, the country life

The buttermilk sky overhead brings to me a sense of calm and contentment. Ever since my mom showed me one, so many decades ago, I’ve probably pointed them out far...
Chi Varnado

Quail Mutterings: The art of laying a fire

Who hasn’t been mesmerized by the dancing flames of a well-laid fire? But for me the real beauty is the radiant warmth, seeping into every pore of my skin, enveloping...
With a front porch, folks can visit with their neighbors across the way, as long as they’re outside at the same time, Chi Varnado writes.

Quail Mutterings: Ode to the front porch

Front porches are the best, aren’t they? They allow one to invite the outside world in while at the same time giving you a front row seat to what’s going...
Chi Varnado's new Australian shepherd/border collie puppy.

Quail Mutterings: What’s next?

Are you feeling young and spry? Not so much? Just wishful thinking? Try keeping up with your grandkids or running around with a 10-week-old puppy! Just kidding — not sure...
Chi Varnado, right, forages for edible greens with her husband, Kent Richardson.

Quail Mutterings: Standing Still

Sometimes I just stand there. That’s all—and it’s enough. I might walk a ways, stop, and then look around. The sun warms my back, the chilly wind makes me shiver,...